Bloodline
by Woodsballer
Summary: Something is wrong with one of Sarah's lifelong friends and a dark secret about her gift will be revealed. A Shaiya Chronicles story. COMPLETE
1. Intro

Bloodline

Bloodline

**Disclaimer: Pokemon is copyrighted to Nintendo and is not used in this arena for profit in any way.**

**A/N: Thank you so very much for checking out this story. Yes, I realize it is incredibly ahead of schedule. But is that really so bad?**

**This story only uses first gen. Pokemon (mostly, but no spoilers).**

**If you previously read this chapter, continue. Section breaks have been altered for better reading ease.**

Sarah Adams. Known on the battlefield as the famous Shaiya. Anyone who has seen Sarah in battle knows her well. For there is no other trainer that fights alongside their Pokemon.

Five years ago, a scientific experiment gave Sarah the unique ability to change her body into that of any Pokemon. While at first many saw it as nothing more than a carnival spectacle, she has slowly proved to the world that her ability is a great gift that she treasures, using it almost at the cost of her life in order to win the Grand Tournament.

That was three years ago. Now, Sarah runs a special clinic in Safron City with her fiancé, Luke Anderson. There, Sarah helps trainers communicate and build better relationships with their Pokemon as well as train them to be better partners on and off the field.

--

Sarah sat at the front of a large room floored with mats. She was in a nondescript white tunic. The others in the room wore similar uniforms. They and their Pokemon were laid out in a large grid before her. She always felt that a relaxed atmosphere such as this helped the trainers learn much better.

"A proper relationship between trainer and Pokemon is all about balance. A trainer does not control the Pokemon, yet the Pokemon cannot to as it pleases. There must always be a setting of responsibility and trust that is shared by both parties.

"Even the world goes by this rule. When there is a disturbance, favoring one situation for another, the world resolves it, bringing it back to perfect balance.

"That is what we will be working on this session. Each of you settle into a comfortable position next to your partner." Everyone did as she asked.

She was about to continue when a Pidgey flew through the window to the next room and landed beside her. "There are a few men here to see you. Luke says it's urgent." The bird held a small roll of paper in her claw and handed it to her.

Sarah opened the roll and read only two three letter words.

OAK MIA

--

Sarah burst into the clinic's small conference room. "What's wrong? What's wrong with Prof. Oak?"

Luke was already inside. With him were two men in navy blue business suits. They all stood as she entered. "Sarah, these men are with the BPI."

One man held out a hand to her. "Hello, Ms. Adams. I am Agent Smith. This is my partner, Agent Hamilton."

She accepted the handshake. "I've never heard of the BPI."

The men retook their seats. "Not many people have. We are a small group. The Bureau of Paranormal Investigation prefers to keep itself on a low level."

"Paranormal? You mean like me?"

Smith seemed to suddenly get a bit nervous. "Well, to be honest we've had tabs on you for some time but had no reason to approach you until now."

Luke jumped in. "Wait, she's not in trouble is she?"

"Oh, quite the contrary."

"Good. Now what's happened to Oak?" Professor Oak had been a good friend of Sarah's ever since he had inadvertently given her the gift and had been her primary financer for the clinic. Anything going on about him she wanted to know as soon as possible.

"We…don't exactly know yet," Hamilton said.

"He went on a solo expedition to the north several months ago." Smith slid a file across the table. "One week ago, we received an emergency beacon from this location with Oak's signal code." He pointed to a dot on a map inside the folder. "But there was nothing save for some survival gear and a few artifacts. We then discovered a hidden signal inside the emergency beacon giving the code to Oak's personal safe. It contained basic stuff: money, personal items, and a folder labeled 'Shaiya'."

Sarah perked up. "So it was about me?" Smith nodded. "What was in it?"

Smith fidgeted for a moment. "That…is classified." Luke gave him a fierce stare. Smith must not have been very long on the force. He caved after only a few seconds. "Have you ever heard of the Mäyto?"

Sarah and looked at each other before shaking their heads.

"The Mäyto were one the world's original great people. In the early times, a Ditto somehow figured out how to take human form and took a human as its mate. The children they created were unique, maintaining the human form and intelligence but also keeping the Ditto's incredible ability to mimic any other form and ability."

The description stuck inside Sarah's head. It was exactly like her. "What happened to them?"

"Arrogance. Pride. The usual human sins. They felt themselves better than the other human races and swiftly took control of the entire globe. But the Great Spirits saw this and were displeased. It created too much of an imbalance. So they sent their messenger, Mew, to wipe out the Mäyto people."

Sarah and Luke both gasped. "Are you serious?"

"But what does that have to do with Sarah?"

Smith flipped through the file and pulled out a piece of paper. It had Oak's name across the top. "Prof. Oak believed that you were a descendent of the Mäyto."

Sarah looked up in shock, but Smith's eyes held nothing but stern seriousness.

"How can that be? You said the Mäyto were all killed by Mew," Luke asked.

"It is very well possible that several Mäyto were not involved in the takeover and were spared. But to prevent further trouble, their abilities would have been removed."

Sarah read over the sheet of paper in front of her. Oak had apparently found parts of her DNA that matched those found in old ruins. It also stated that the pill originally used to give her the ability to understand Pokemon speech was what reactivated the long-dormant ability. The final paragraph outlined that Oak planned a trip to the north in order to find a lost city of the Mäyto.

"I still don't understand. If all of this is real, why are you coming to me now?"

"There is another piece of the legend," Hamilton took over. "According to it, only one of re-awakened Mäytonian blood can enter their city."

Luke cut in first. "No. Sarah is not some archeologist to be sent all over the world."

"If I go, what's in it for you? Wealth or power?" Luke appeared shocked at Sarah's sudden answer, but held his tongue.

"Prof. Oak is our main concern right now. He is the world's leading researcher. And if you happen to find the lost city, the knowledge we gain will be tremendous."

Sarah examined Smith's face closely, even using a few of her enhanced Pokemon senses. He seemed to be telling the truth.

She took a deep breath, reading over a few of the papers before her one more time. "I'll go."


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2:

**Chapter 2:**

**Determination**

**A/N: Due to some transfer errors, my section breaks did not appear in the previous chapter. I apologize that this may have made it slightly difficult to follow, but it was out of my hands. I am attempting to find an alternative means, so bare with me if they continue to vanish during the upload process.**

**Also, I don't know why I have to say this, but if you read, please write a review.**

"Sarah, may I have a word with you outside?" Sarah and Luke stood and went outside of the glass door, closing it behind them. "How can you possibly think of doing something like this?" he asked in a fierce whisper.

"Prof. Oak is out there somewhere. I'm not going to sit by if he's in danger."

"So let them take care of it. They only want to find this city for them."

"…Maybe so. But I'm not going to leave Oak hanging like this."

He was about to fire back, but Sarah opened the door and went back inside, leaving Luke still outside fuming.

She sat down across from Smith and Hamilton. "When do I leave?"

"As soon as possible. We will have full transport ready for you."

"Give me till tomorrow morning."

The deal settled, Smith and Hamilton both shook Sarah's hand and departed. Outside, they unlocked their black BMW and crawled inside. "You know we shouldn't be doing this."

"Yeah. But we don't have any other choice." The engine revved and drove off.

--

Luke walked into the house late that night. Sarah was in the bedroom packing a few items with Ivysaur's help.

Of all Sarah's Pokemon team, only Ivysaur and Lars, a Rattata, still remained. Sarah had released the rest back into the wild after she won the Grand Tournament. The two had chosen to stay with her.

Ivysaur handed Sarah an extra shirt. "I can't believe you aren't letting us go with you."

Sarah took the shirt and stuffed it into the bag. "I don't want any of you getting hurt. So I'm going alone."

"Is that so?" Luke said, suddenly appearing in the doorway.

Sarah and Ivysaur froze, looking over at him. He had a stern look on his face. "I…think I'll leave you two alone." Ivysaur jumped from the bed and slipped past Luke.

No one spoke for several minutes. "Say something, Sarah."

She finally met his gaze. "This is something I have to do."

"That's fine, but why do you have to do it alone?"

"I JUST DO!" Her abruptness even scared herself. "Look…it's one of those gut feelings. If one of you comes with me, something will go wrong. I just know it."

"And what happens when you're hurt and no one's there to help you?"

Sarah shut the bag and slung it over her shoulder. "I'll cross that bridge when I come to it." He twisted and let her by. She dropped the bag by the door. "I'm sleeping outside tonight." The door closed softly behind her.

When she slept outside, it usually meant that she had some thinking to do, and Luke knew better than to disturb her at times like that.

--

Sarah lay as a Bulbasaur outside the city limits. It seemed that no matter how many Pokemon forms she had, she'd always had a slight affinity for the small starter Pokemon. It may have been because this was what she became every month around the full moon. That phase was still a week off. Now she was here under her own will, gazing at the stars.

Her mind was still rolling the new details of her life around her head. The gift had never been from the pill at all; it has always been there, just dormant. In a way, she wished that she had known this sooner. The world was well past its days of race discrimination.

"_But would that have really made a difference?_" another part of her mind asked. It probably would not.

"_It still would have been nice to know."_

A crunch of grass declared a visitor, but Sarah had smelled Lars long ago. The small rat crawled out from a bush. "Hey, chum. Why so glum?"

"I'm going to go ahead and assume Ivysaur told you everything."

"You are tactful as always." He lay back against a nearby tree, following her gaze up into the sky. "If it's any help, sometimes it's better to not know your past."

Sarah held her gaze on the stars. "And why's that?"

"Well, look at me. My grandfather was a traitor to our original clan. He gave us away to a group called Team Rocket just for a bit of power. The few that got away with me turned me into an outcast. All because of something _he_ did." Sarah was now looking him over. A tear seemed to form on the edge of his eye, but it was wiped away quickly. "And you…you're the descendant of power hungry dominators. Not the kind of history I'd want."

Sarah shook her head. "You're wrong. We aren't bound by our ancestor's choices. We make our own."

"Oh, I completely agree. Don't get me wrong." The silence returned for several minutes. "Well, I have some things to take care of. I'll see you in the morning." He scurried of the way he came.

So Sarah was once again left alone with her thoughts.

Tomorrow she would leave to find Prof. Oak and maybe a city of her ancestors. But…did she really want to find it? Like Lars had said, knowledge of your past could be dangerous. Maybe it would be better to simply be left in the dark.

"_No."_ She was not bound by her blood. And Oak needed her.

Whatever dark secrets she'd learn on the trip will just have to be accepted.


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3

**Chapter 3**

**Departure**

Sarah returned home shortly before sunrise the next morning. She entered into a completely empty building. Luke would have already gone to prep the clinic for the day. It was common, but it hurt her that he didn't stay to see her off.

In her room she put on her dark blue Morph Skin. It was unique piece of clothing designed specifically for her. In fact, it was so special that it didn't even exist to the rest of the world. It used special nano-tech to change shape and color whenever she entered any Pokemon form. Prof. Oak had to pull several enormous favors to get it for her, but it was extremely useful when she had to change quickly and couldn't worry about getting in and out of conventional clothing.

Only minutes later she was outside and a black sedan pulled up. Without a word she opened the door and threw her bag in before turning for one last look back. No one, not even Ivysaur, was there to say goodbye.

"_It's my choice."_ She fell into the back seat and the vehicle went off down the road.

Twenty minutes later they were pulling into a small airstrip outside of the city. A small personal jet was already getting warmed up. Without any kind of introductions, several men came over and escorted her up the stairs and into the craft. She couldn't help but think that they seemed extremely eager.

Smith and Hamilton were waiting in the passenger cabin and rose when she entered. "Good morning, Ms. Adams. How are you doing today?"

"Well enough," she said with a shrug.

"Good. This jet will take us north to a small military outpost on the edge of the mountains. From there you and a small squad will take a…"

"I'm going alone."

"I…beg your pardon?"

"I don't want any kind of escort. I will go alone."

The two agents shared and glance. "Very well. _You_ will take a helicopter into the mountains close to where we found Oak's beacon."

"Do you have any idea where I should start looking?"

Smith reached back and pulled out a clear plastic bag. "Oak thought this may provide some help." He pulled out a piece of wood, splintered on two ends. On its face was colored a small scene of a large city.

Sarah breathed when she saw it. It was beautiful. And…somehow familiar. She reached out and brushed a finger across the tallest building.

An image flashed through her mind. The plane and the two agents vanished in light and was suddenly replaced by mountains and fire. She was somehow looking down on a massive city, easily triple the size of Safron, settled down in a valley deep in flames. Voices screamed in agony as people ran to and from buildings.

A small section of the city, only slightly touched by the fire, broke off and began to float up into the air, rock and all. But even as it did, an enormous meteor fell from the sky, smashing it back into the ground. The ground rumbled and dust rolled up and over her.

When the dust passed, she was back in the plane. Smith and Hamilton were looking deep at her eyes, a slight awed look. "What?"

"You…spaced out for a moment. Are you alright?"

"Yeah. I should be able to find my way, I think." Only then did she get the sense of movement. She peered out the window. The ground was several hundred feet down and passing very fast. "How long was I out?"

"By the clock? About ten minutes."

"_What?! Ten minutes?!"_

"We should be arriving at the military base in about half an hour."

Sarah nodded and reclined her chair. Hopefully the illusion of sleep would keep them out of her hair. She wasn't really tired, but she wanted peace. That vision had given her another bad feeling. Something about this trip didn't seem right.

But it was too late now.

--

The agents didn't speak for the rest of the trip.

Several times, Sarah kept going back to that morning. He wasn't there at all. Yeah, he held a grudge. But that shouldn't have stopped him from at least seeing her before she left.

At the base, several people were out, for why she couldn't figure out. The mountains rose to the north, big and grey. Only a few had snow-capped peaks. Her Morph Skin would protect her for any moderate temperature changes.

They ushered her to the copter, which was already set, and wished her good luck.

It was only a five-minute trip to the drop site and they passed in silence. At the place, the chopper hovered down, but stopped a few feet up. The area was too rocky to completely land. So Sarah fell out and landed in a crouch. The pilot revved the blades and it rose back into the air. It made one pass and she waved, signaling she was good to go, and the chopper flew off.

When it finally vanished and the sounds of metal on air stopped, she removed her outer layer of clothing, leaving her in the Morph Skin.

"_The beacon is two hundred yards north."_ She shouldered her bag and morphed into a Rapidash. It would be much faster that way.

"GO POKEBALL!"

Sarah spun her head to see a spinning orb flying at her. In a blur, she changed back into a human and caught the pokeball and inch from her face. "What's the big idea?"

A big man in a red vest and buzz cut stepped from behind a rock. "Good catch." His voice was heavily accented.

Sarah dropped the orb. "Do you have any idea who I am?"

"Duh. There isn't a person alive that doesn't." He drew another pokeball from his belt.

"And you're still stupid enough to fight me?"

The orb in his hand grew large. "Way I figure, you're a Pokemon. And since you're a Pokemon, I can catch you."

That was new. She tried to hide her slight fear, but a small quaver entered her voice. "You can't be serious."

"Oh, I'm dead serious, honey. GO ONIX!"

**A/N: Many of you wondered, what would happen if she got captured? Will we see that happen? Stay tuned.**

**Also, I couldn't really put this in due to setting, but think German when doing his accent.**


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4

**Chapter 4**

**Struggle**

The massive rock Pokemon appeared in a bright light before her.

Sarah quickly dropped her bag onto the ground behind her. There was no way she could run from an Onix, even in Pokemon form. Reasoning was always a good thing to try. She changed her voice to speak the Onix tongue. "Please, Onix. I am not your enemy."

"My master would not be wrong!" it answered. It had obviously been trained well. A loyal Pokemon would follow their trainer's orders regardless of anything.

She'd have to do this the hard way.

She hunched her shoulders forward, a massive shell and cannons sprouting from her back. A torrent of water shot out and engulfed the Onix. For a moment it flinched, but then held firm. Sarah stopped her Hydro Pump and stood, shocked that it was still standing. "But how? Rock types are extremely weak to Water."

"All but this one. I've trained my Onix is water environments. Its weakness to water is completely nonexistent. NOW USE DIG!" The rock snake vanished into the ground.

Too easy. She'd seen that move too many times and knew exactly how to counter.

She jumped into the air and became a Pidgeotto. She flew a lazy circle over the hole the Onix dug then changed into a huge Venusaur. In a moment, she charged a powerful Solar Beam and sent it straight down into the tunnel.

The Onix screamed from below and brought a smile to Sarah's face.

"NOW CHARGE IT!" The Onix ripped through the rock and smashed into Sarah's exposed stomach.

The air burst from her lungs as she was sent straight into a boulder. She fell to her stomach and coughed as she changed back. How had it been able to stand up to her Solar Beam? Grass was Rock's other big weakness. This Onix's defense must be off the charts.

She was in for a long fight.

"WRAP!" The Onix was suddenly around her. It made one loop and closed in. The big snake tightened, but there was nothing good. She'd vanished. He looked around confused.

Sarah materialized in front of his face as a Gengar. He stumbled back for a moment and she took the opening to hit him with a point-blank Psybeam.

The Rock Pokemon fell further back, so she shifted to a Venusaur once again and hit it with another Solar Beam.

"USE DIG AGAIN!" The Onix finally recovered and fled into the rocks below.

"_Perfect."_ Sarah shifted her body into a Charizard and slammed her foot into the ground. The Earthquake quickly spread through the ground, even knocking the other trainer on his back. _"There's no way he'd survive that."_

The rocks below her splintered. She looked down and the rocks shot up. The Onix's snout rammed into her stomach again and sent her back through the air.

She looked back as she flew and then wished she hadn't. A large rock pointed sideways speared her back. Her body arched over it as it dug into her skin. At first, all she could do was writhe in pain. After a moment, she finally gasped in and let out a howl.

Something hit the side of her head. She realized in an instant and with a rush of fear that it was a pokeball!

Her body vanished around her and she was pulled away. After only a moment, she could feel a sort of cage enclose around her. She couldn't see anything, but she could feel everything. In fact, the weird state of being pure energy was somewhat relaxing. It completely removed the sting of the rocks in her back.

NO! She had to get out. She struggled, pushed out against the barrier, but it held firm.

She stopped for a moment as her mind raced. She was captured! A captured Pokemon! Everything was gone, over! She was never going to be able to help Oak!

"_Wait. Slow down. No need to rush."_ She took a deep breath (how in her energy state she couldn't quite tell) and calmed her mind. As she did, her mind cleared of the fear. Instead, it was replaced with an anger that quickly grew into rage.

--

The man in the red vest watched the pokeball suck Sarah into its depths. It fell to the ground and began to shake, the red light pulsing on its front. After several seconds, it fell still and the light died.

He ran over and picked it up. "You're gonna make me one badass trainer!" He smiled evily.

Suddenly the pokeball and began to crack and vibrate. He gave yelp and dropped it back onto the rocks. The cracks spread, covering the entire surface, until it finally exploded in a burst of light. He covered his face with his arm and several pieces of metal flew up and into his skin, bringing trickles of blood.

When he looked back, Sarah was crouched on the rocks in her human form.

She looked up at him with hatred. "I am not just some Pokemon to be captured." She came at him.

He took a step back but wasn't fast enough. A Hitmonchan fist drove into his jaw and threw him back. He hit the ground and slid to a stop. But she was quicker. Just as he stopped, she was beside him and driving her Hitmonlee leg into his stomach. The rocks below him fell in a crater around him.

The man coughed and drops of blood flew up into Sarah's face, pulling out of her rage. She stopped as he her body changed back to that of a human. He didn't move or seem to breathe.

She quivered at the sight of him, what she had done to him. She placed a hand against his neck and felt a very weak pulse. He was still alive.

But…what had happened? She'd never been that angry before. And she didn't even remember telling herself to attack him. It just happened.

Something felt very wrong.

The pain in her back returned redoubled. She cringed and reached up behind her. Her hand touched a very moist Morph Skin and when she brought it back forward, it was coated in red.

Her body felt very heavy. The loss of blood was getting to her. She let herself fall to her knees gently.

"_Maybe I should have brought help."_

The world vanished into darkness and her cheek fell to the rock.


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter 5

**Chapter 5**

**Rite of Passage**

Slowly, her eyes gained focus. The sky was a transition of blues over her, black clouds permeating the sky. _"Dusk."_ Her eyes shot open. It was late morning when she had first arrived!

She pulled her body upright, gasping as her back stretched. The wounds had sealed up thanks to her faster Pokemon healing properties, but it still stung and itched.

She looked over. The small empty crater was only a few yards away, but the body was nowhere. Hopefully he had run off and wouldn't be back.

She pushed herself up, going against her revolting body. Her bag still sat on a nearby rock. She pulled it open and fumbled for the small mirror inside as she unzipped the top half of her Morph Skin. The wound wasn't as bad as it felt. A pink scar ran from her shoulder blade to halfway down her spine. It seemed a miracle that nothing broke.

A tiny bottle of antibacterial liquid was poured over it and the Morph Skin was resealed. The beacon left by Prof. Oak was only a few hundred yards away.

She changed into a Geodude and slowly floated across the rocky landscape.

--

The red-vested man kneeled before the metal throne. "Forgive me. I failed to retrieve the target."

Another man sitting atop the throne simply laughed. "You were never intended to complete the task. You have done more than expected.

"The girl will soon play her part and begin the next phase."

--

Sarah crested the small hill. Just over it, a flat section of rock held a small beacon stand. She glanced over it, but then was drawn beyond it.

The rocks dropped off into a large valley. The floor rose and fell in jagged areas and was almost completely covered in moss. The sight was gorgeous.

Or it would have been had she been focusing on that.

Instead, her eyes were following the paths of rocks, admiring the flow of the moss. She knew this had to be it. This was the valley of her vision. The city was here.

She dropped her bag and changed into a Pidgey, dropping off the cliff and gliding down. When she landed, the configuration of the rocks was much more clear. To anyone flying overhead or even someone just randomly walking through, it would look like just a valley of random rocks. But if she looked close enough, the rocks formed rough outlines of buildings.

She had done it. She'd found her ancestor's lost city!

Yet even as she admired it, a thought crossed her mind. "_What for?"_ Everything was destroyed. Sure, the outlines were here, but there was nothing that could possibly have any kind of historical importance.

For the moment, she concluded that there wasn't really anything else to do here. So she changed back into a Pidgey and flew up to the rock ledge.

From a quick glance, she couldn't find anything helpful. There was nothing but rock aside from the beacon. She swept the place over twice as a Growlithe, but couldn't find any kind of scent trail except for the way he came in. The trail ended here, as if he had simply vanished.

After an hour of hopelessly searching the immediate area, she went back to the beacon to collect her bag. When she picked it up, drops of water fell from the bottom. "What the…" She reached in a pulled out a broken canteen. "Oh, that's just great."

More water spilled onto the ground. A good portion of it near the beacon was drenched and turned a darker shade of grey. Except for one place that caught her eye.

Inside of the grey, several lines of white formed a few designs. From on angle, they resembled _"gr"._ But anything else was outside the watered area.

"_That can't be natural."_ She dropped her bag back to the ground and changed into a Squirtle. Using a Water Gun, she gently coated a stretch in water. As she did, more white letters became visible. When no more appeared, she changed back and looked over it.

"_grandfather"_

"_Definitely not natural."_ It had to be some kind of message. But why just "grandfather"? That could be a reference to anything.

"_My grandfather had a saying…"_ Oak used to quote his grandfather. He had only used one, but he used it over and over. _Argh,_ what was it?

"_My grandfather had a saying, 'We rarely ever see what is right under our nose.'"_

Oak was sending her a message, she just knew it. _"Right under our nose…"_

She went back to the beacon. It was the last scent her nose could pick up from the Professor. She gently picked it up and moved it aside. Below it sat a small rock in a crevice, which she also moved.

Underneath of the rock, a hole opened up into a tight tunnel. Sarah pulled out a flashlight and shown it into the hole, but the light went only a few inches.

It could have been natural. A small Caterpie could wiggle down. But Caterpie only lived in forests, so there wouldn't have been any reason for it. Another quick Water Gun showed a large arrow pointing down into the opening.

"_Way-to-go, Oak."_

She quickly changed into the tiny worm Pokemon and slunk down the crevice.

It continued down for several yards, which took her almost an hour to traverse with her smaller legs. Eventually, it leveled out and began to expand. When it got to a sufficient height, she changed into a Growlithe and then to a human.

After another two hundred yards, the tunnel ended in a large spherical chamber. The far wall was covered by a pile of rocks. The floor was carved in intricate circles, on inside of the other. They continued growing smaller until the innermost circle held a podium.

A few torches burned around the walls. She moved over and examined one. It burned, but the wood was miraculously uncharred. And the flame itself didn't give off any heat. The fire gave off only light. She wanted to take one, but the podium drew her attention.

The podium was also beautifully adorned. The base to the peak was carved with twisting lines of ancient text. The letters were strange and Sarah didn't recognize any of it, but she could somehow make out their meaning.

She knelt to the ground and read on line that curved upwards.

"_The unholy parish, the pure fulfill the earth."_

"Oh, that's not at all creepy."

The top of the podium held a strange handle protruding from a slit. When Sarah placed her hand around it, it shifted, and she drew out a short rusted dagger.

Just as the blade left the rock, a new ring of glowing text appeared around the hole. Sarah backed up for a moment, thinking it to be a trap. But nothing happened.

So instead, she stepped forward and read.

"_The seed of the pure moves mountains; the hand of the vile shall be struck down."_

Her mind recalled what Smith had told her earlier. "Only one of re-awakened Mäytonian blood can enter their city."

"So, they want some of my blood as a test."

The blade she held was too rusty and dull. Instead she drew her own pocketknife and cut a thin line along her thumb. She used that to smear a long streak of blood across the dagger and moved the dagger back over the slit.

For a moment, her hand stopped. _"Should I do this? Do I really want to see where I came from?"_ The question tumbled for several seconds before the blade was plunged back into the rock.

A beam of light shot up from the rock, surprising her and causing her to take a step back. Like water, light seeped out of the blade-hole and fell across the floor, filling every crevice of the circles.

A rumble began and quickly grew. A rock shifted along the far wall and the entire section suddenly came crashing towards her. Smoke filled the air, causing her to cough several times.

Just as quickly as it started, the sound and light vanished, leaving only the flame-light flickering through the dust. It became easier to see after a moment. The pile of rocks was gone. It its place stood a brilliantly carved archway. Beyond it lay total darkness.

Sarah grabbed a torch and walked over to the arch. As she approached, more light spilled into it, filling gaps to form a single word at the top. "Carnath."

The darkness beyond became filled with light. Hundreds, then thousands of torches suddenly became lit until they ceased at the far end of the cavern, easily miles away.

Sarah stood in awe of the sight, suddenly understanding why it was named "City of the Gods."


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter 6:

**Chapter 6:**

**City of the Gods**

The city was massive. Even only being a small portion of the original city, it would have put Safron City to shame twice over.

Buildings lined up in blocks. Those on the outside were lower, probably housing. As they moved closer to the back wall, the roofs became taller in gradual steps. The tallest building was on the far wall of the cavern. Its spire reached up far above the rest, and it would have reached further had it not been broken off at the cavern ceiling.

Sarah gazed over the city for several minutes, simply taking in its beauty. Then she remembered that she had a job to do and walked down the steeps steps to the fringes of the city.

The buildings were made of solid rock. But they weren't bricks. Every building appeared to have been carved from a single block of rock.

The first few weren't very glamorous: simply unadorned shells. A little deeper in, they became bigger and started sporting carvings along their fronts. Most looked to be stores and markets. A few open squares held tables and benches, also hewn from solid rock.

She walked for hours admiring the city. The architect of this city had to have been a genius. Of course the people also had their Pokemon abilities to help them. But still, the scale and execution took her breath away. Here, in this place, Sarah was almost proud to call herself a Mäyto.

Much later, she stood outside the tallest building. It was surrounded by a large avenue a hundred yards wide all around, separating it from the rest of the buildings. The outer walls were also the most intricate she had yet seen. Wisps of smoke flowed around great deities. Sunlight shown down on a city and her people. Fields grew over rolling hills. In a way, the outside almost looked like it could be an art museum on its own.

But walking inside, she didn't know at all what it could be. Past the main lobby area, three hallways split. Two led to the side and one led further inward. The whole building was circular, so Sarah decided to take a side path that would hopefully lead back around.

Either wall was covered top to bottom in more carvings and paintings. She stopped to admire the first painting. A naked woman was in the embrace of a tall man. But the man didn't really look solid. He seemed to have skin that flowed and shifted, even in the painting. Below them was a collection of strange creatures. They looked like Pokemon, but stood upright and had incredibly human characteristics. A few feet down the wall, the same group was building a small collection of buildings, a few humans with them.

Sarah stepped back and looked over the wall. It was a history! The history of the Mäyto.

The village grew as more were born with the Mäyto abilities. The other races of the world saw them as impure: a wicked mix of creatures meant to remain separate. They were outcast from the rest of society, shunned from cities and villages. One overzealous patron rose up a small force to exterminate the Mäyto. It was quickly defeated by only two Mäyto fighters.

That was when they Mäyto uprising began. The two who had fought back began spreading feelings of superiority amongst the others. Soon it became a belief held by all the others. Using this, they led a conquest of the rest of the world, enslaving the other races and destroying any that tried to fight back.

The wall continued with several scenes of battle where a collection of Pokemon and Pokemorphs swarmed over great cities. Sarah couldn't help but feel a growing sense of pride with every picture.

She caught herself. Why was she being prideful of this? These people had murdered thousands for their own sake. That is no reason to be proud of you ancestry. And yet the feeling was there.

The final picture before the curving hall reconnected at the front was of the various races of the world coming together under bondage and building a city. The size was enormous, with spires rising above the city at many points. Sarah recognizes it as the real Carnath, the city that was destroyed in her vision. Just above the tallest spire in the very center of the city hovered the image of a small Pokemon that gave off a brilliant light. The Pokemon was Mew.

Sarah pulled away from the image. That same feeling of pride welled up again at the sight of Mew. All she wanted to do was continue her family's legacy. What was it about this place?

The path leading inward opened to the central chamber. The space was a perfect sphere with the door opening at the equator. The lower half of the room was split into tiers of seats going down to the bottom.

One look inside made Sarah's head spin. She didn't know why, but the space seemed to be a straight contradiction of itself. The floor fell, but at the same time, it appeared to rise up towards the ceiling. The ceiling did the same downwards. The entire wall stretched in towards the exact center and stretched outwards at the same time. The space didn't look like it could actually exist in real space.

And floating in the very center of the room was some kind of glowing orange crystal. It was far from smooth, almost looking like it had simply been ripped from the ground. It shown gently, pulsating every few seconds. Sarah's gaze fell on it and locked. The pride returned again. She felt herself soulfully drown to this crystal. It was her people's, the very essence of their being.

She slowly descended the seats, her eyes never leaving the crystal. As she got closer, the light began to pulse faster and grow brighter. She got the same paradoxal feeling as she walked. Her body moved further from the glowing crystal, but she felt as if she were getting ever closer. She kept walking until she was directly below the crystal and it was shining a constant bright orange.

The light from the crystal began to focus on her. The light grew brighter and brighter, but it didn't blind her even as she stared into its depth. The light came together into a tight beam at her forehead. It continued to close in until it was so thin it vanished.

A searing heat blasted through Sarah's brain. For a moment, she mentally screamed in agony, but it only lasted a split second. She suddenly found herself in another place, just like her vision. This time, she was in a group of people that was completely surrounded. The small group she was with was her kin. How she knew was far from her thinking. She simply knew.

The people around them all held primitive weapons at the ready.

Her family was angry. And she joined in their hatred. How dare they? They were superior. And yet they were treated as if they were as low as the Caterpie!

The Mäyto were the better race. She was better! Better than all the other trainers! Better than Luke! Better than Oak! Better than all those around her!

Sarah paused for a moment. Then, she slowly began to laugh, drawing eyes from the others in her vision. In another brilliant flash, she was back in the spherical room.

She fell to her knees, gasping for breath. The crystal above her had died and returned to its slow pulsing. With a laugh, she realized exactly what this place was. It was a trap: a mental trap to influence the next generation of Mäyto to continue the legacy of death and destruction. But it was too good. It had made her feel superior to the point where she felt superior to the other Mäyto and breaking the curse. It was almost comical.

She stood up, brushed the dust from her knees, and looked back up at the crystal. This thing was dangerous. If any other Mäyto were to enter here, they may not be so lucky as she was. It was part of her history, her heitage, but it was too much.

She'd have to destroy it.

The silence was broken by a sudden and slow clapping. "Bravo."

Sarah spun on her heel. Up at the entrance stood a tall man with a long black cape. He was completely bald and a scar ran from headtip down his nose and curved to his left jaw. One eye was replaced with a bright gemstone.

Sarah only gave him a passing glance. Around him stood four other men, each tracing rifles over her.


	7. Chapter 7

Chapter 7:

**Chapter 7:**

**Trouble in Paradise**

Two of the armed men moved down the stairs. For a moment, Sarah considered fighting back, but more men showed in the doorway. There were way too many guns, so she sat tight.

"You performed quite admirably, Ms. Adams," the scared man continued. He had a heavy accent she remembered. It was the same as the man in the vest that tried to capture her.

"What are you talking about? And how did you get here? I thought only Mäytonians could enter the city."

"That is partially correct. The blood of a Mäyto is only required to open the doorway. After that, anyone can come and go as they please."

"You…you set me up!"

A smile formed across his mouth. "Bravo for you. Helpful and smart."

The men came to her sides and pulled her hands back to be cuffed. "And just what do you plan on doing here?"

The man's gaze rose up to the crystal floating in the room. "That will be revealed soon enough."

The cuffs clicked shut behind her. She pulled on them as a test, but no luck. They were tight.

"Put her with the Professor."

The Professor? They had Oak?!

The men pulled her arms forward and she followed along, giving the scared man a glare as she passed. She was taken back through a part of the city. Whoever these people were, they came prepared. Hundreds of men and women in black suits were setting up equipment in buildings. Some carried computers, others boxes of food. Someone had taken a lot of time to get this all ready, she realized.

She was pushed into a building about half a mile from the shrine. Several rows of cages had already been erected. Only one was filled and by a man hunched over and wearing a white robe.

"Oak!"

He turned at her voice. "Sarah! Oh, this is not good."

She was shoved into the cage next to him and the guards left. She came up close to the bars. "What's going on? Who are these people?"

Oak shook his head. "They have no name. But I know too well what their plan is. I'm sure you saw the crystal in the shrine already?"

She nodded. "It almost made me want to take over the world."

"The crystal is called the Mäylong. It has the ability to influence the heart and mind of any Mäyto within its range."

"That explains why I felt so angry when I first got here."

"Yes. This group of people hopes to use it to re-awaken the blood of every Mäyto on earth and use them to conquer the world."

"That's awful!"

"Yes. If they are able to succeed in removing the Mäylong from this place, it will mean the end of modern civilization."

"We have to stop him!"

"I agree. But just how do you suggest we do that?"

"I might be able to help with that." Something fell from the ceiling and landed in front of the cages.

Sarah gasped in astonishment. This was the last thing she expected. "Ivysaur?! What are you doing here?"

"Luke thought that you could use some help. We've been following you ever since you left the house." He let out a vine and started to fidget with the lock.

"Luke's here too?"

The cage clicked open. "Yeah. He should be here any second with a key."

A guard suddenly stepped through the door and spotted the Pokemon. "HEY! WHAT ARE YOU DOING HERE?"

A hand reached around the man's neck and clamped down. "They're with me." He slumped to the ground and Luke released his grip.

"Luke!"

He quickly moved into the cage and unlocked Sarah's cuffs. "When will you learn that when I offer my help I'll give it?"

She turned and threw her arms around him. "Oh, I'm so sorry I didn't let you come. I didn't know what I'd do if you weren't here."

"You'd be sitting in a cage waiting for the end of the world, that's what." He held the hug for a second before pulling her away from him. "Now you have to stop Millar! I can create a distraction for you, but you're going to have to take care of him yourself."

"The guy with the scar?" He nodded. "Right. You get me alone with him and I'll take him out."

"Good. Sorry, Professor, but you're going to have to stay in there a little longer."

"Oh, don't worry about me," he replied with a forced smile. "You just do what you have to."

"Give me five minutes." Sarah leaned in and gave Luke a deep kiss.

He returned it warmly. It had been too long since he'd been in her arms. When they finally separated, he said, "You be ready."

She gave him only last kiss before morphing into a Gengar and vanishing from the room.


	8. Chapter 8

Chapter 8:

**Chapter 8:**

**Legacy**

Sarah floated silently over the city. No one stopped to look up. And those that did look up by chance merely passed their gaze through her.

Without a sound, she slipped into the shrine. Millar was standing in the center of the room, directly under the crystal. The guards were stationed at the door.

Suddenly an alarm blared from outside. The guard's radios beeped. "Intruders. All men move to contain." The men looked over at Millar. He gave a wave of his hand and they turned and left.

The moment the moved through the door, Sarah shifted and launched an ice beam, creating a thick wall of ice. She dropped to the ground as a human. Now she and Millar were completely alone.

Millar didn't turn to address her. His gaze remained on the crystal. "The Mäylong is an incredible piece of gemstone. It is fragile to the slightest touch and so must be kept in these special shrines. I'd love to know how the Mäyto moved such large pieces without it shattering."

"You're plot ends here, Millar!"

"Oh, I don't think so." He finally turned towards her. "You see, I know this is my destiny. I am to lead the Mäyto in a glorious conquest of the modern world. No one shall stop us. The only piece holding me back was not having the Mäylong crystal. But you solved that problem."

"So what's keeping me from blowing that crystal to shreds and stopping you?"

Millar laughed deep in his throat. "You can't. You are a Mäyto."

She hid her scowl. He was right. She wanted so desperately to destroy that thing, but her body just wouldn't listen. And even as she stood, that sense of pride from earlier began to creep into her mind. Damn that crystal!

"You can feel it now, can't you? The crystal is taking over, turning you into what you are destined by blood to become."

She had to get out! If she stayed much longer… But the ice she had created kept her sealed in.

"In a way, I was hoping you would manage to escape." Millar slowly reached into his jacket. Sarah instantly thought it was a gun, and she readied an attack. But instead, he pulled out something smaller, hidden in his grip. He moved it and held it up between two fingers: a tiny piece of glowing orange crystal.

"You have a Mäylong shard? H…how?!"

"I stumbled across this little beauty several years ago in the Hoenn region. That was when I knew what I had to do."

Something happened in Sarah's mind. Something dark was creeping in. It slowly washed over, pushing her out. Sarah fought back, but it was too strong. It was starting to take control.

"You see, the Mäylong has the ability to re-awaken any Mäyto and puts them under my control. Soon, I will have an army of unstoppable warriors."

She could feel her body start to morph. Her arms flexed and expanded. Her toes lengthened and became sharp talons. Fur started to sprout over her fur. She was changing into a horrible creature she didn't know. Her back hunched, tearing open the still-young scar on her back, which brought a scream to her mouth and a red stain to her fur.

She howled in rage, her mind also being influenced. Hatred poured through her veins. She dug in and fought back, using all of her strength to return to her human form. But still her body gave over to the transformation.

"Why do you resist?" Millar had started to ascend the stairs. "You have suffered the same cruelty your people did all those years ago. You deserve your revenge."

"_Yes! I want to kill!"_

"_No!"_

"Come. Take up your legacy."

Her mind slowly transformed into a beast. Sarah could only watch in horror as she was pushed to the back of her mind. And then it came for her.

"_I mustn't. They're counting on me. They're… They're weak! Humanity does not deserve to be ruled by such weaklings. I am superior! Better than… Better than…"_

A picture flashed through her mind. Luke, Sarah, Ivysaur, and Lars were standing outside the clinic on the day it first opened. That day had been so happy, so peaceful.

"_Better than this."_

She pushed back again, keeping the image of her and Luke in the fore of her mind. The darkness fell back, and she pushed harder.

"Come. Help me bring up your people to their full glory!"

She opened a pained eye. Millar was standing before her, hand outstretched. In his hand rested the Mäylong shard.

She forced her will over her body, keeping the beast just at bay. He brought her hand up and clasped it around Millar's. "If this is my legacy… I renounce my name."

She pulled her hand away, grabbing the shard. With a heave, it flew into the air.

Millar's smug face shattered as he watched the crystal fly. "No. NOOO!"

The shard clinked against the larger crystal in the air. For a moment, there was painful silence. Than a small crack flowed over the face of the crystal. It spiderwebbed through and the light inside grew in intensity. It held for a moment, and Sarah wondered if it were enough.

With a loud crashed, the crystal exploded. A massive shockwave swept over her body. The fur and muscle were ripped from her body, causing her to scream. She could also hear a crack of ice. Millar screamed into the air.

The shockwave passed and Sarah fell to her hands. Human hands. She looked over herself. She was back to a human. And the darkness was gone.

"WHY?!" Millar was down at the bottom, kneeling in the pieces of Mäylong crystal. "YOU'VE RUINED EVERYTHING!"

Sarah slowly stood to her feet. "It's time the Mäyto created a better legacy."

The building shook, almost throwing Sarah to the ground. "What's going on?"

"The crystal was the only thing keeping this place up. Without it, the cavern's going to collapse."

"_Luke! Oak! There still down here!"_

Sarah spun and ran out of the room, leaving Millar screaming in the shrine.

Everyone else had already started to panic. Jobs and possessions were forgotten as they ran for the only exit. Sarah knew they were too far. Most of them wouldn't make it. She leapt into the air and changed into a Dragonair. She slithered through the sky and fell down into the improvised jail.

Luke was already working on Oak's cuffs, Ivysaur next to him. "What's going on?"

"The whole place is going to come down any second." The place shook again and rocks began to pelt the roof. "Change that. It's coming down now!"

She looked out the door. Huge sections of the cavern ceiling began to rain down. She spun back. "Everyone get close!"

She shifted into a huge Onix and curled around the others just as a boulder came crashing down. Outside, just over the roar of the collapse, she could hear the screams of those stuck in the open.


	9. Chapter 9

Chapter 8:

**Chapter 9:**

**Rise of the Redeemed**

**Disclaimer: Pokemon and all related themes are copyrighted to Nintendo. Sarah, the Mäyto, and related themes are owned by me.**

It wasn't until an hour later that Sarah finally broke the surface. She had to be careful on the climb. One false moved would bring the loose tunnel collapsing in on the others. But luckily, it held long enough for them all to climb out to safety.

The rising sun blinded them all for a moment. Sarah was the first to unshield her eyes and look. Was it her imagination or was the sun getting closer? Suddenly it shot up from the ground to directly over their heads.

For a moment, they all stared between their hands. But then the light faded to show a small floating form. Sarah recognized it from the shrine picture. Mew, messenger of the Spirits was floating before them!

"Sarah, descendent of the Mäyto," the Mew spoke with a soft voice. "For the sake of the world, you disowned your family and destroyed their greatest treasure. The Great Spirits owe you a great thanks." The Mew bowed in midair.

Sarah laughed and shook her head. "It was nothing." Luke put an arm over her shoulder, smiling brightly into her eyes.

"No, it was a great sacrifice. For it, you shall no longer be called a Mäyto. You and your children and your children's children shall be called the Sanyä."

Sarah smiled at it. It literally translated to _"Redeemed of the fallen." _She gave her own bow. "I am honored."

"But, to prevent such a disaster from happening again, the Spirits have deemed it best that you be stripped of your powers."

Sarah shot up and took a step back in shock. Luke threw a protective arm across her. "You can't!"

"Please. This gift is what makes me _me._ You can't just take that away."

The Mew closed its eyes, but then drew them up to the sky. Several seconds passed in anxious silence. It brought its gaze back down. "The Spirits are merciful. You may keep you gift."

Sarah breathed a heavy sigh of relief.

"However, from here forth, you and your line shall never bear more than one child. Thus will it be till your line shall end."

"We'll take it."

The Mew nodded and slowly floated towards her. "Then go with the Spirit's blessing." The Mew brought its tail around and touched it to Sarah's forehead. With a quick flash, it vanished.

Right then, the real sun peaked over the horizon.

Sarah and Luke fell into each other's arms, glad to be together once again and this whole journey ended. For minutes, they simply watched the sun rise and cast red light across the sky.

"Next time someone comes asking me to take some kind of perilous journey, remind me to say no."

Luke laughed at her sudden comment. He kissed her on the top of her head. "I told you so."

She gave him a smack on the back. But they both knew it was from love.

"_Ehhem."_ Oak broke the silence and they turned back to him. "I don't mean to intrude, but there are a lot of Pokemon waiting for me to get back to the lab."

"And I just want to get back home," Ivysaur added jokingly.

Sarah laughed. "I'll get us home." She released Luke and shifted into an Alakazam. Using a quick Teleport, the group split for their separate ways: Oak back to his lab and the others back to the house.

--

That night, Sarah lay in the moonlight, Luke sleeping soundly next to her. Her mind was still completely awake from all of the events.

There was a low scuffle and a dark form jumped lightly onto the bed. Sarah wasn't worried. It was only Lars. He crept up the bed and stopped around her chest. "So how was the trip?"

Sarah gave a quick shrug of her shoulder. "Ok." She'd tell him all about it later.

"Yeah. Right. Ivysaur already told me everything."

She made a mental note to Vine Whip him later.

"I bet now you're wishing you'd taken my advice."

She thought for a moment before answering. "In a way, I do. But I still think it's better that I did this."

Lars gave a sigh. "Am I the only one that's even half-sane in this house?" He turned tail and jumped off the bed, making scuffles in the carpet on his way out the door.

Sarah tossed the idea in her head. If she could have avoided the whole event with the Mäylong crystal and Millar, would she still have gone through with it?

After a few minutes of debating, she decided she would. Because of what she did, she'd created a slightly brighter future.

Both for her and her child.

**And so another adventure of Sarah "Shaiya" Adams comes to a close. I hope you had as much fun reading as I did writing. Let me know in the review. (And no, there won't be another surprise chapter this time, so get all thoughts out now.)**

**Special thanks to Felix the Eeveetrainer, the beta reader for this story.**

**P.S. At this time, there are no plans for another sequel. Too many sequels will ruin the specialness of the first pieces of work. (Just look at Pirates of the Caribbean if you don't believe me)**

**However! I am willing to let people "continue the Mäyto bloodline" as it were. If you'd like to use this as the basis for a story, let me know.**


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